Following 22 years of experience at the school level, former Morningside Elementary School Principal Audrey Sofianos has been promoted to cluster superintendent for the Midtown and Jackson clusters.
While similar Atlanta Public Schools positions have existed in the past, her promotion marks the first “cluster superintendent” in the school district’s history. Encompassing 22 schools and over 10,000 students, Sofianos said she will prioritize principal support in her role.
“[The job description] is really to build the capacity of the principals and support the principals with any needs they might have,” Sofianos said. “That includes removing any barriers at the district level or if there’s some standard operating procedures that we need to hone and make better. This way, the principals can really focus on instruction, digging into their data, meeting the needs of their kids and reaching their goals.”
Sofianos began as a teacher in Indiana, where she became a technology coach for teachers, then an assistant principal for three years, and finally the principal of an elementary school for six years. After she moved to Atlanta, she was principal of Sutton Middle School for seven years and then principal of Morningside for nine years. Sofianos believes her experience directly contributed to her promotion to cluster superintendent.
“I am really good at problem solving,” Sofianos said. “Sometimes, that’s what principals need help with. They have something they’re trying to sort through, and I can help them sort through that because I’ve seen a lot of different things, being at three different schools and being a principal for so long. I’ve had a lot of experience in just about everything.”
Sofianos believes it is important that all schools in the Midtown and Jackson clusters work together to ensure consistency in both quality of academics and programming.
“Each school sets their own goals to improve,” Sofianos said. “I’m excited about finding the commonalities among the [22] schools that maybe there’s a couple schools working on these same exact goals. So, part of my job would be to bring those schools together and help those principals and teachers work together to help the kids. My role will be to help the schools follow the school system’s direction and work on their individual goals at the same time because every school is unique and different.”
Midtown’s 504 Coordinator Alex Wallace believes educational alignment is vital at the cluster level. He thinks Sofianos’ commitment to curriculum continuity is what makes her a great candidate for cluster superintendent.
“Ms. Sofianos has demonstrated the ability to foster high-quality academic and focused programming,” Wallace said. “She values collaboration within the cluster, which is key to achieving greater autonomy and alignment across schools, ultimately ensuring a more cohesive and effective educational environment.”
Following Sofianos’ promotion to superintendent of the Midtown and Jackson clusters, assistant principal Brian Baron was appointed as Morningside’s interim principal for the 2024-25 school year. Baron aims to be a strong leader for the school and its community.
“I see the purpose of the principal as keeping students safe, keeping staff safe and bringing the community into the whole learning process,” Baron said. “The role of a principal ensures that the strategic goals set by our GO Teams are being implemented and that there are positive student outcomes. The role of a principal is to be an instructional leader for everyone.”
Baron has outlined several plans for the school year as interim principal, including becoming STEAM-certified.
“My goals are to really define our path to STEAM certification and be very transparent with communication as the interim principal,” Baron said. “We are going to be 100% clear about where we are and what it’s going to take to become a STEAM-certified school.”
Baron has worked at Morningside under the supervision of Sofianos for seven years and believes that her personality makes her fit for the demands of the job.
“She’s definitely a strong listener to what needs are,” Baron said. “She’s approachable, and she tries to be very attentive to what her staff needs in order to be successful with kids. Seventy percent of her personality is absolutely drawn to what kids need, and then the rest is drawn to what adults need in terms of supporting kids.”
Wallace thinks Sofianos is a strong fit for the cluster superintendent role.
“Ms. Sofianos’ leadership style, coupled with her deep knowledge and extensive experience within the Midtown Cluster, makes her the perfect fit for this role,” Wallace said. “She brings a wealth of experience, wisdom, and has built strong, meaningful relationships with the principals and the Midtown community. Her firsthand understanding of the cluster’s needs positions her as an ideal leader for the job.”
Wallace believes that the new position will be extremely beneficial for the Midtown cluster.
“The role of the cluster superintendent has a significant and positive impact on Midtown,” Wallace said. “It will shine a spotlight on the great work already taking place within the Midtown Cluster. Under Ms. Sofianos’ leadership, I believe she will not only continue the cluster’s growth, but also elevate its achievements and successes.”
